At that moment everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on the door. Mrs. Ejimbe turned to me and asked, "She is your mother?"
"No, she is not," I said. I hadn't even turned to look at the door once.
"Of course she is," I heard another familiar voice. This time I turned to look at the door. Standing next to Ami Tara was Kylie and Stephanie. And it was Kylie who just spoke.
"She is a very famous personality, Ami Tara and I don't think such a person would show up for no reason and claim someone is her daughter," Kylie continued. I rolled my eyes at her.
"I thought the fair woman was your mother," Mrs. Ejimbe said. She was referring to Stephanie.
"No, I am just her aunt," Stephanie lied. Yeah she wasn't my mother but we weren't related either.
"Enough chit chat, I want to know why you were just about to expel my daughter," Ami Tara said straight to the principal.
"Your daughter drove her classmate- Chiamaka to attempt suicide..."
"That is the stupidest thing I have heard in my life!" Kylie interrupted her.
"Who is she to interrupt the principal while she is speaking? Why is she even here?" Mrs. Ugonabo asked.
"I am wondering the same thing," I muttered under my breath.
"She is my daughter," Ami Tara spoke and I stared at her. Really?
"I don't see the resemblance," Chiamaka muttered but I heard it.
"You don't? Maybe you will when that black eye heals," I said to her.
"Enough of this! Alya is getting expelled from this school and no one can stop it!" The principal said.
"Just try me. I will fucking sue this school for defamation. What is even wrong with you? Hasn't Alya been here for a while now? Does it make any sense to you that she would do all this?" Ami asked annoyed.
"If anything this short stuff here is the one capable of such. She attacked my sister at her birthday party. I literally got her thrown out of the house. I should have gotten a restraining order too because this is the limit. The girl is fucking bipolar!" Kylie said.
"Don't you dare speak about my daughter like that!" Mrs. Ugonabo said glaring at Kylie. "See the kind of family this Alya girl is from. Both the mother and daughter have been swearing since they stepped in here..."
"That is far from the problem okay? You need to get your daughter treated! You know the day she attacked my sister she looked completely like an escape mental patient!" Kylie yelled.
Although I was on the verge of getting expelled, I still found it kind of amusing to watch this scene that was unfolding.
"Besides this all sounds totally absurd! This short stuff blamed my sister for her own attempt to commit suicide and you all believed her?! What are you ten?! That means I could just stab myself now and then blame the principal for forcing me to commit suicide!" Kylie was visibly angry at the moment.
"She threatened to kill me..." Chiamaka started saying but Kylie interrupted her.
"She threatened to kill you and then you decided to do it yourself?! What a joke! Just admit that you are fucking fed up with your horrible life or you just wanted to frame my sister!" She said with a scoff.
"Even if she didn't force Chiamaka to commit suicide, she still gave her a black eye and intends to harm her," the principal said.
Kylie laughed, "She deserves more than a black eye. And giving her a black eye doesn't warrant getting my sister expelled from school in her final year. If anything, you should be giving her an award." Stephanie nudged Kylie and she rolled her eyes.
"I am being honest. Okay, if anything, then this might warrant a suspension from school but definitely not expulsion! And if Alya is getting any punishment, then Chiamaka should receive twice that! She was the one who attempted to commit suicide in school! It wouldn't give a proper impression if you just let her go unpunished. That would mean the school is promoting self harm. Besides how did she even try to kill herself?"
"She slit her wrist," the guidance counselor answered Kylie.
"Exactly! What was she doing with a knife within the school premises anyway?" Kylie asked.
"The knife was in the fruit bowl..."
"It wasn't a weapon, it was for cutting fruits. But you apparently turned it into one. That means you used a weapon in school! So it would be highly unjust for my sister to get punished alone!" Kylie concluded.
"You have a point but I don't appreciate your tone or how you just barged into my office," the principal said.
"Please forgive us ma. What they are all trying to say is that Alya is in the final year of her highschool and it would ruin her future if you expel her for a crime she didn't commit," Stephanie said earning a glare from my mother.
"Alright!" The principal said with a sigh. "At least there is one reasonable person in this room! I'll discuss with the management and get back to you all in a minute," she said.
Stephanie thanked her while the principal stepped out. I sat down staring at the ground when suddenly Stephanie joined me.
"It seems you enjoy getting yourself into trouble a lot. It has sort of become a hobby for you," she joked. I didn't smile at all.
"How did you know all this was happening? And why are they here?"
"Since you didn't have the decency to tell me what was happening, the school called me and said I was needed here today for a meeting with the principal, although I was slightly delayed because they came back," she said. "They just arrived from the airport when I briefed them about what was going on. So they came with me. And they are your family, remember that!" She added.
"Thanks a bunch," I said not meaning it.
"You are welcome darling," she said giving me a side hug. Just then the principal returned. She took her seat before she resumed talking.
"After a bit more deliberation on the issue, the management has decided that Alya and Chiamaka would both get two weeks of suspension from school for improper conduct."
"I don't agree. Why is my daughter being punished?" Mrs. Ugonabo asked.
"For improper conduct as I had earlier stated. It's the management's decision, not mine."
****
We left the office much later. I was in the parking lot with Kylie who was busy on her phone walking next to my mother. They were both walking too slowly and it was frustrating. Stephanie was already in the car and they were busy cat walking as if the whole of the school was watching them. Well... Apparently those around were.
"Hold on!" I heard a voice from behind. Kylie and Ami turned before I did. I saw Alesscia holding my school bag. "I came to give this to Alya," she said to my mother.
She probably didn't see me since I was far ahead of them and she probably didn't notice me approaching.
"Who is she?" My mother asked.
"She is an upcoming singer or so," Kylie said before Alesscia could reply.
"Actually, I am a friend of Alya's," Alesscia said obviously not impressed by Kylie's introduction.
Kylie took the bag from her rather roughly. "Thanks," she said with a smile which felt more like she was telling Alesscia to leave since she was done with what she wanted to do.
"You are welcome," Alesscia said flatly before leaving obviously annoyed.
I headed straight for the car that had been waiting for us for a while. After what felt like ages, the two drama queens arrived. I sat in the back seat with the both of them while Stephanie sat in the passenger seat.
While I sat quietly, mother and Kylie kept conversing. It was really annoying that they didn't stop talking. Apparently they had suddenly become best friends. They even had matching phones and manicure.
Like what the fuck?
After many excruciatingly painful minutes, we arrived home. I was the first to exit the car pretty much having more than enough drama for a day. I deliberately left my things in school not even bothering to pick as much as a toothbrush.
I didn't even take my money. It would probably still be there when I got back right? My roommates were annoying and all but definitely not thieves.
I ushered myself inside the house realizing that I hadn't even said a word to my mother since she arrived. And she was too busy with her new daughter to even notice. It was fine by me as long as she didn't say anything about me getting suspended and being irresponsible and a bunch of other shit she could say just to sound like a good parent.
I had already started going up the stairs when I realized that Mr. West might have also come with them. Was that possible? I mean Kylie was back with my mom so maybe he came back with them?
I prayed that it wouldn't be the case. I finally reached my room thinking I would get some peace and alone time but that wasn't granted as I heard a knock on my door.
"Who is it?"
Rather than me getting an answer, the door was pushed open revealing Kylie. 'So she even had the decency to knock,' I thought rolling my eyes.
"I would ask you to leave but you obviously wouldn't listen to me so I should just save my voice," I said still voicing the fact that I didn't want her in my room.
"I guess you are still the asshole I knew you as after all this while. That's truly tragic," she said plopping down on a bean bag. I stared at both her and the bean bag. I never remembered having one of those in my room.
She was now staring at her phone typing so quickly I was afraid the screen would break.
"You know you could just say 'Thanks'. It's just six letters and definitely won't kill you. You should practice saying that sometimes," she said not looking up from her phone.
"Why should I say thanks?"
"Didn't you see that superhero elder sister role I played earlier? I totally saved your ass from getting expelled because of something you didn't do. I at least deserve some credit," she said, her eyes magneted to her phone, you would think she was talking to it.
"And who said you saved me? Another thing though, how did you know I didn't drive Chiamaka to committing suicide. You weren't actually there!"
"Yeah, it's just dumb that someone can get someone else to end their life. It is even dumber that she decided to end her life when she could get help. I know you are a heartless bitch, heartless enough to kill her straight rather than playing mindless games.
"And from the small birthday episode, she looks like someone who wouldn't just take her life. I don't even believe that she was the one who cut her own wrist. People like her can't give themselves even a scratch.
"People like her love themselves way too much, they are probably obsessed. She wouldn't even get a paper cut to save her so-called boyfriend you supposedly stole. So my random guess is that she faked the cut on her wrist."
I stared at Kylie in shock.
"And you could tell all that by just observing her?" I asked her. She just shrugged.
"Not really. I just said whatever shit was in my mind because it sounded smart," she added smiling and still on her phone. I rolled my eyes, she was definitely psycho for sure. I entered my bathroom to shower leaving her there.